If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Our Malaysian leaders too won some honours/awards ...

Originally Posted by Loh

The Straits Times
Oct 28, 2009

By Chua Chin Hon

WASHINGTON - A STAR-STUDDED cast of the US capital's political and business elites turned up to honour Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning Singapore time) as he was awarded a lifetime achievement award for his contributions towards United States-Asean ties.

Three US Presidents - Mr Barack Obama, Mr Bill Clinton, and Mr George H W Bush - sent congratulations via letters and tape-recorded messages, while two elder statesmen - former Secretaries of States Dr Henry Kissinger and Dr George Shultz - were on hand to help Mr Lee celebrate the occassion.

The Minister Mentor is the first recipient of the lifetime achievement award, which the US-Asean Business Council created in conjunction with its 25th anniversary.

About 450 people, decked out in tuxedos and glamorous evening dresses, attended the glamourous event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Among those who paid tribute to Mr Lee were Dr Kissinger, Dr Shultz, Senator Jim Webb, and Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

In a statement to The Straits Times, Dr Shultz said: 'Ideas, information, clarity of mind, integrity of purpose. Mr Lee Kuan Yew has all of these characteristics and many more.

'He is a truly great man who has been a wonderful friend over many years.'

Elder US statesmen Dr Henry Kissinger gives Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew a hug just before Mr Lee was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the US-Asean Business Council. Behind them and on the right is Mr Rod Hills, a founder and former chairman of the US-Asean Business Council. -- PHOTO: CHUA CHIN HON

Our previous education minister, now home minister was honoured with the Hang Tuah award.

Getting the Hang Tuah award is really a big deal as we dont dish this prestigious honour to any Ah Chuk or his uncle, Ah Mok, Lingam or his drinking buddy, Thandevan or Abu or his step brother, Badut. Hang Tuah is our legendary malay warrior who killed thousands and thousands of Portugese with his 1" butter knife.

Singapore got this or not?

The World Biggest Pewter Tankard.

Hello Uncle Loh, our Royal Selangor Pewter crafted this sometime back. It is still the world's biggest tankard till this day as no other nation have the technology or technical know how to actually build one.

Hello Uncle Loh, our Royal Selangor Pewter crafted this sometime back. It is still the world's biggest tankard till this day as no other nation have the technology or technical know how to actually build one.

Yes impressive, I think I saw one, maybe a replica, at Clarke Quay where RSP has a sales office. But it must have been moved somewhere now since I did not see it the last time. This is a good spot for display since many tourists gather here for makan and a good beer.

I still possess some souvenir items made of pewter bought many years ago on my visits to Malaysia - a top spinner, a Kelantan kite flyer and a Kuda dancer as well as sealions. I must have lost the butterfly brooch.

I think I read the story behind the success of the pewter company although I've forgotten most of the details. It is an inspiration for young entrepreneurs.

Our previous education minister, now home minister was honoured with the Hang Tuah award.

Getting the Hang Tuah award is really a big deal as we dont dish this prestigious honour to any Ah Chuk or his uncle, Ah Mok, Lingam or his drinking buddy, Thandevan or Abu or his step brother, Badut. Hang Tuah is our legendary malay warrior who killed thousands and thousands of Portugese with his 1" butter knife.

I think that must be the famous kris he's holding, famous as it was reported widely in the press when the issue was publicised.

I still possess some souvenir items made of pewter bought many years ago on my visits to Malaysia - a top spinner, a Kelantan kite flyer and a Kuda dancer as well as sealions. I must have lost the butterfly brooch.

Here are my pewter souvenirs. I also got a pewter egg cup for coming back last in a social golf game when I first learned to play the game long time ago. What I had to do to earn that prize included drinking a mug of beer with a golf ball inside. They called it the booby prize!

I also found the three monkeys reminding us to "speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil"!

'Promising' PAP candidates

BY THE next general election - in 2011 or 2012 - the People's Action Party must have the next generation of political leaders in place, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.

Some members have been identified, he said, but the team that can one day take over from him and his senior colleagues is not yet complete.

The hunt for political successors, including someone who could be Singapore's fourth PM, has been a niggling concern for Government leaders in recent years. Until now, however, no deadline had been set.

But it is this uncompromising commitment to self-renewal, said PM Lee, that has allowed the PAP to thus far avoid the fates of other long-ruling parties like the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan and the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Malaysia.

The Prime Minister, who is also the secretary-general of the PAP, made this points on Sunday morning at the PAP convention in Downtown East. He was addressing more than 1,000 PAP members, activists, MPs and former MPs.

This year's convention holds special significance for the party as it marks 50 years of the PAP in power.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) said some members have been identified, but the team that can one day take over from him and his senior colleagues is not yet complete. -- PHOTO: ZAOBAO

S'porean aces US Sudoku

Though actually second, Tammy McLeod's perfect finish of the Japanese puzzle won her top spot

By Cheryl Tan

A SINGAPOREAN based in the United States has won a national Sudoku contest there, beating 68 contestants in cracking the killer Japanese number puzzles.

The local brainbox, who won top prize in the third annual Sudoku National Championship in Philadelphia last Saturday, is Tammy McLeod, a 32-year-old computer programmer with search engine giant Google.

Apart from the coveted title, she also wins US$10,000 (S$14,000), an iPod Touch and a place to represent the United States at the 2010 World Sudoku Championship to be held again in Philadelphia next April.

Mrs McLeod was formerly from Raffles Girls' School (RGS) and Raffles Junior College (RJC).

The mother of a 14-month-old baby girl, Audrey, she is also an alumni of the gifted programme in Rosyth Primary School and won the smartest Mensa competition in 1995. She has an IQ of 168.

She moved to the United States in 2000 and lives in Los Angeles with her 35-year-old husband, Mr Brent McLeod, a video games designer.

A question ...

BY THE next general election - in 2011 or 2012 - the People's Action Party must have the next generation of political leaders in place, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.

Some members have been identified, he said, but the team that can one day take over from him and his senior colleagues is not yet complete.

The hunt for political successors, including someone who could be Singapore's fourth PM, has been a niggling concern for Government leaders in recent years. Until now, however, no deadline had been set.

But it is this uncompromising commitment to self-renewal, said PM Lee, that has allowed the PAP to thus far avoid the fates of other long-ruling parties like the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan and the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Malaysia.

The Prime Minister, who is also the secretary-general of the PAP, made this points on Sunday morning at the PAP convention in Downtown East. He was addressing more than 1,000 PAP members, activists, MPs and former MPs.

This year's convention holds special significance for the party as it marks 50 years of the PAP in power.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) said some members have been identified, but the team that can one day take over from him and his senior colleagues is not yet complete. -- PHOTO: ZAOBAO

Uncle Loh,

I got a question here ...

Singapore have a population of 5 million +-, right?
Singapore's universities are world reknowned, right?
Singapore is modern, progressive and is considered one of Asia's economic tigers, right?

... but how come you lot cant find a PM other than LKY's little boy, Hsien Loong in that 5 million pool? Are you saying Hsien Loong is the ONLY smart looking and brainy stud amongst the 5 million? Why is that PM post a 'hand me down' thing from daddy to son?

And how come Temasek is helmed by Ho Ching, Hsien Loong's wife? Again, no other smart and brainy women in Singapore other than Ho Ching?

Singapore have a population of 5 million +-, right?
Singapore's universities are world reknowned, right?
Singapore is modern, progressive and is considered one of Asia's economic tigers, right?

... but how come you lot cant find a PM other than LKY's little boy, Hsien Loong in that 5 million pool? Are you saying Hsien Loong is the ONLY smart looking and brainy stud amongst the 5 million? Why is that PM post a 'hand me down' thing from daddy to son?

And how come Temasek is helmed by Ho Ching, Hsien Loong's wife? Again, no other smart and brainy women in Singapore other than Ho Ching?

Thanks Pemuda for your kind words.

Actually Singapore may have a population of 5 million now, about 1 million are non-citizens comprising of foreign workers and permanent residents who can't stand for, and vote at elections.

I think Singapore is blessed in a certain way to have two from the same Lee family to be willing to serve the nation and to continue to make progress and prosperity for all Singaporeans. You would agree that Singapore's current status is no mean achievement for a very small city state, more so considering its very difficult and humble beginnings.

Of course having members of the same family to serve at the highest office is not unique to Singapore as the most powerful nation in the world, the US, also has this tradition, the most recent being the Bush family. Even Malaysia has its fair share with the Najibs, the son being the current PM.

The same question should be thrown back at you: How come with a much bigger population of more than 25 million, Malaysia cannot find someone else other than another Najib?

In Singapore's case, many like you may think that Lee Jnr's post is a 'hand-me-down' thing. This is not correct. When LKY stepped down in November 1990, it was Goh Chok Tong who took over as PM until August 2004 when he became SM, almost 14 years at the helm.

Lee Hsien Loong entered politics when he was 32 in 1984 (His father was already PM at 35 years of age in 1959), not brought in by his father but by Mr Goh or Mr Rajaratnam, I think. He became PM on 12 August 2004. So it was a good 20 years working in government before he succeeded Mr Goh. As I understand it, the PM was not chosen by just one person. He was chosen by the Cabinet, comprising other top party leaders and Ministers.

In this sense LHL's appointment cannot be termed as a 'hand-me-down'. He must command the respect and confidence of the other cabinet members, many of whom are highly qualified.

The decision to be involved in politics is a personal one. There may be many able men and women in Singapore, but not many are willing to sacrifice their private lives and high incomes to serve the nation as political leaders.

Ho Ching was not chosen by LHL to head Temasek. The chairman of Temasek must have found her to be suitable to employ her. And she has proven her ability before. Remember she has to produce results and face the music when things turn bad as it did earlier this year. She was willing to step down and be replaced by a foreigner, one Mr Goodyear, but he decided not to take on the responsibility at the last minute. So Temasek will have to source for another suitable candidate. Do we have another lady to respond? Your guess is as good as mine.

The same question should be thrown back at you: How come with a much bigger population of more than 25 million, Malaysia cannot find someone else other than another Najib?

Uncle Loh,

I be more than happy to answer ...

Ok, Malaysia, unlike Singapore, our universities are not world reknowned.
Malaysia, unlike Singapore is not modern, progressive nor are we one of Asia's economic tigers.

I also have couple of other ways to answer your question. It is as follows:

... 25 million chaps and still Najib?? Uncle Loh, in Singapore you guys do have a anti corruption agency, right? Do you have any witness (keyword;witness not suspect) murdered in the building of your corruption agency?

Singapore got its own armed forces, right? And like any armed forces in the world, your army have weapons and explosives, right? Do you lot have any murder cases involving C4?

Chinese are the majority race in Singapore, right? Does the chinese in Singapore tells the other minor races in Singapore that they are 2nd class citizens? And tell them to go back to India, Indonesia, Thailand whenever the Chinese thinks they are out of line?

Of course having members of the same family to serve at the highest office is not unique to Singapore as the most powerful nation in the world, the US, also has this tradition, the most recent being the Bush family. Even Malaysia has its fair share with the Najibs, the son being the current PM.

In Singapore's case, many like you may think that Lee Jnr's post is a 'hand-me-down' thing. This is not correct. When LKY stepped down in November 1990, it was Goh Chok Tong who took over as PM until August 2004 when he became SM, almost 14 years at the helm.

Lee Hsien Loong entered politics when he was 32 in 1984 (His father was already PM at 35 years of age in 1959), not brought in by his father but by Mr Goh or Mr Rajaratnam, I think. He became PM on 12 August 2004. So it was a good 20 years working in government before he succeeded Mr Goh. As I understand it, the PM was not chosen by just one person. He was chosen by the Cabinet, comprising other top party leaders and Ministers.

In this sense LHL's appointment cannot be termed as a 'hand-me-down'. He must command the respect and confidence of the other cabinet members, many of whom are highly qualified.

The decision to be involved in politics is a personal one. There may be many able men and women in Singapore, but not many are willing to sacrifice their private lives and high incomes to serve the nation as political leaders.

Ho Ching was not chosen by LHL to head Temasek. The chairman of Temasek must have found her to be suitable to employ her. And she has proven her ability before. Remember she has to produce results and face the music when things turn bad as it did earlier this year. She was willing to step down and be replaced by a foreigner, one Mr Goodyear, but he decided not to take on the responsibility at the last minute. So Temasek will have to source for another suitable candidate. Do we have another lady to respond? Your guess is as good as mine.

Yes, there are some special cases where after daddy, the son became president/prime minister. The Bush family in the US is a recent case. And the poor Iraqis are paying the price. The country is worse off than when it was under Saddam and till today, no weapon of mass destruction.

The reason why I asked why LHL was because I find it amazing for a smart and bright country like Singapore that there is no one other than LHL. Hand to heart, honestly, if LHL was not LKY's son, what are the chances of him being PM? And I agree, LHL is a smart cookie but I am sure there are a lot of smart cookies in Singapore as well, right?

LKY to LHL ... maybe , you are right LHL is the smart and right choice.

Ho Ching and Temasek?? I dont know. I just wonder if HC is not LHL's wifey, will she still head Temasek?

I believe it helps if you have family connection in high places. I am not a smart chap but I think if my daddy is LKY, I will get some assistance in my career.

Yes, there are some special cases where after daddy, the son became president/prime minister. The Bush family in the US is a recent case. And the poor Iraqis are paying the price. The country is worse off than when it was under Saddam and till today, no weapon of mass destruction.

The reason why I asked why LHL was because I find it amazing for a smart and bright country like Singapore that there is no one other than LHL. Hand to heart, honestly, if LHL was not LKY's son, what are the chances of him being PM? And I agree, LHL is a smart cookie but I am sure there are a lot of smart cookies in Singapore as well, right?

LKY to LHL ... maybe , you are right LHL is the smart and right choice.

Ho Ching and Temasek?? I dont know. I just wonder if HC is not LHL's wifey, will she still head Temasek?

I believe it helps if you have family connection in high places. I am not a smart chap but I think if my daddy is LKY, I will get some assistance in my career.

LKY after all is human.

Of course you are not wrong if your family connection and influence at high places reach far and wide. It is of great advantage over someone who has to cultivate this from the beginning.

LHL has been following his father since early days when the elder went about his political business. His tuition in politics started then and he has shown interest at such a young and tender age. This is a great headstart which later must have convinced him to take after his father's footsteps although he was not directly brought into the political arena by his father. In fact I read somewhere that his father tried not to influence his decision to take up politics but indirectly by bringing his son around to his meet-the-people sessions, etc, he has created an interest in him from very young.

LHL has the intellect and political acumen to be a leader and with about 20 years learning the political ropes, he was well placed to be the PM, who could speak to the people in their language and dialect. How many young leaders who may have great brains can do this? How many are willing to endure the sacrifices? Many who are able prefer to earn more money in more comfortable circumstances. They prefer to be leaders in other less demanding professions. This is one distinct difference between those who are able and willing to become political leaders.

Even now the PAP government is still cultivating possible candidates as our future leaders and has still not yet found a complete team for the next election. But the search is still on-going and hopefully among the brightest and most able, we are able to induce some who are suitable.

S'pore resilient in crisis

THE economic crisis has demonstrated how strong Singapore is and how resilient and flexible its people and businesses are, said Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Monday night.

The Government's 'full-force fiscal intervention' - introduced in this year's Budget - has helped prevent huge job losses and limited fallout from the global crisis, but has been only one part of the story.

Speaking at the Enterprise 50 Awards gala dinner at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Mr Tharman said: 'Nothing would have worked if everyone had not played his part.'

He noted that companies retained as many workers as they could, with some even creating new jobs. Instead of laying off staff, they reached for help from Government programmes such as the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience, or Spur.

Workers, too, made sacrifices in accepting wage cuts and shorter working weeks, and undergoing retraining, he said.

Banks continued to lend to viable companies with help from the Government-funded risk-sharing initiative, while grassroots and community leaders, volunteers and philanthropists went out of their way to help those in need.

50 years in 382 pages:Tracing Spore's history

IT COVERS the 1965 separation of Singapore from Malaysia and the 1987 death of stripper Rose Chan.

A new book, Chronicle Of Singapore, tells the history of the country as it was reported in newspapers in the 50 years from 1959.

The 382-page tome was created after sifting through about 10,000 reports from the Singapore Press Holdings archive and will be out in bookstores this Friday. It costs $59.90 and comes with a DVD of rare film and news footage, including Mr Lee Kuan Yew's emotional speech as Singapore gained independence.

The book, published by Editions Didier Millet, features more than 2,000 stories on topics from politics to sports, arranged chronologically and presented in newspaper style.

Mr Peter Lim, 71, who headed the team behind Chronicle and who is the former editor-in-chief of The Straits Times Press, said: 'It is not a history book in the conventional sense. Histories are notoriously subjective, depending on who they are written and commissioned by. We claim that this is objective, as objective as the newspapers that reported the events first.'

The reports in the book present a slice of life as well as history, starting with British royal Prince Philip's visit here in 1959 and ending with the attack on Mr Seng Han Thong, MP for Yio Chu Kang, in January this year.

Mr Peter Lim headed a 40-member team to produce Chronicle Of Singapore (left), which features more than 2,000 stories on topics from politics to sports. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

All decked up for X'mas

THIS year's Christmas light up will offer two different experiences - on Orchard Road and at Marina Bay.

The annual dazzling affair is led by the trade associations of both precincts for the first time and they have each selected their own theme.

The theme for the Orchard Road belt is 'Christmas all decked up', featuring the traditional yuletide icons with a twist. Catch Santas, reindeers and snowmen dressed to the nines, in part showing off Orchard Road as the fashion centre.

Over at Marina Bay, drawing inspiration from the mythological tale of the Midas Touch, the streets from Raffles City, circling Suntec City, Millenia Walk, Singapore Flyer, Marina Square, The Esplanade, Citylink Mall and Clifford Pier will be transformed into a glittering extravaganza of gold. Coupled with dazzling lighting art pieces, Marina Bay will be presented as a golden shoreline, a reflection of its location.

The light up has been brought forward to Saturday to coincide with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.

Singapore Tourism Board's director of tourism shopping and dining Andrew Phua said on Tuesday: 'Christmas is a time for celebration and this year, with the economy showing signs of recovery, there is even more to cheer about. Many tourists from all over the world come to Singapore this year-end season to join us in the festivities each year.'

Catch Santas, reindeers and snowmen dressed to the nines, in part showing off Orchard Road as the fashion centre. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

An MIT for Singapore

SU, like the US university, will be all about bringing the best and brightest together for a quality education

By Sandra Davie

TO DESCRIBE the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as one of the world's most powerful engines of the entrepreneurial spirit would be a massive understatement.

As one of its famously fastidious professors might put it, just check the numbers. If the revenues of all the companies formed by MIT graduates were added up, that would be more than US$2 trillion (S$2.8 trillion) a year - more than the gross domestic product of all but the 10 largest nations in the world.

There are about 6,900 companies in the state of Massachusetts alone founded by MIT alumni. They employ just under a million Americans. A further 18,900 such companies are scattered around the world employing hundreds of thousands

Prof with a focus on innovation

PROFESSOR Thomas Magnanti, 64, is one of 14 institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The title is the highest awarded to a faculty member. He is also a former dean of MIT's School of Engineering.

As dean of engineering from 1999 to 2008, he focused on educational innovation, industrial and international partnerships, technology-based entrepreneurship, diversity and innovation in emerging domains such as bioengineering, tiny technologies, information engineering and engineering systems.

Prof Magnanti has received numerous education and research awards and honorary degrees and has served on a number of corporate and university boards. He is also a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His first degree, in chemical engineering, was from Syracuse University, and he has two master's degrees, in statistics and mathematics, as well as a PhD in operations research, all from Stanford University.

Since the mid-1980s, Prof Magnanti has been a contributing faculty member and then a member of the governing board of the Singapore-MIT Alliance. He later became director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.

He is married with a son.

Prof Magnanti says his hope is that SU will do for Singapore what MIT did for Massachusetts and the US economy; be an engine of growth for the Singapore economy. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG

16 coach companies fined

SIXTEEN coach operators plying between Singapore and Malaysia and their association have been fined $1.69 million for price-fixing.

The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has found the companies and the Executive Bus Agencies Association (EBAA) guilty of setting a minimum price for coach tickets sold here and for a fuel and insurance surcharge on each ticket.

This collusion took place between 2006 and June last year.

The fines, ranging from $10,000 to $518,167, are pegged to the company's size and the amount earned from the price-fixing.

The total fine is the biggest penalty handed down by the CCS, which promotes healthy competition in the various industries and administers the Competition Act.

In the only other time it has wielded its powers, it fined six pest exterminators a total of $263,000 for bid-rigging in January last year.